Eleventh Biennial Iranian Studies Conference

The International Society for Iranian Studies (ISIS) is pleased to announce that the Eleventh Biennial Iranian Studies Conference will be held in Vienna, Austria from August 2-5, 2016 at the University of Vienna. Onsite registration begins on the 2nd and the program extends until the evening of the 5th.

A world-heritage historic center, a vibrant cultural life and the traditional coffee houses are only some of the factors that make Vienna a top destination in Europe. Top-notch research institutions such as the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 13 universities, and the largest student population in Central Europe contribute to an atmosphere of cultural diversity and intellectual openness. The presence of several international organizations reflects the history of Vienna as a crossroads of cultures. Direct contacts with Iran date back to the medieval period, and an imperial school teaching Persian to future diplomats was established in Vienna in 1754. Today Vienna is home to a highly visible Iranian community.

The landmark building of the University of Vienna is the main seat of the oldest and largest university in the German-speaking countries. Located in the historic city center, its combination of magnificent architecture with modern meeting facilities offers a perfect conference setting.

The organizers of the 11th Biennial Conference of the International Society for Iranian Studies (ISIS) invite proposals for pre-arranged panels and individual presentations in all subfields of Iranian studies. The primary language of the conference is English, but papers in Persian will be considered as well. All proposals must be submitted electronically, through the ISIS website, on special forms which will become available on the website as the submission process begins. Independent Paper proposals should include a bio of the presenter (a paragraph of no more than 200 words), and an abstract of the paper limited to a paragraph of no more than 400 words, outlining the central theme and main argument of the presentation.

Conveners of pre-organized panels should submit a personal bio and a panel proposal outlining the central theme of the panel, and indicating how the individual presentations relate to that theme. The format and word count are as those for independent paper proposals. Panel members must submit personally their own bios and abstracts, which follow the format of the independent paper proposal, but include also the title of the panel. Ordinarily panels comprise four presentations, but panels with three presenters will also be considered. In the latter case, the organizers may suggest to the panel convener a fourth member, whose independent proposal is congruent with the topic of the panel. We will have a limited number of slots for PRE-ORGANIZED ROUNDTABLE PANELS. Abstracts for Roundtables should address how panelists will facilitate discussion regarding the academic, policy, or professional theme of the Roundtable.

Deadlines: The electronic submission process willopen on Wednesday April 15, 2015, and will close on Monday, June 15, 2015, 11:59 pm Pacific Time-zone (Greenwich Mean Time minus 8 hours). Detailed step-by-step guidelines on how proposals should be submitted will be posted on the ISIS website when the submissions web-page is opened. Applicants for the 11th ISIS Conference in Vienna must be current members of ISIS, and must preregister for the conference. ISIS membership can be obtained by accessing the “Membership” page of the ISIS website at http://iranianstudies.com/membership

Adjudication: Pre-arranged panels and independent paper proposals undergo a peer-review process by a Program Committee of scholars, whose names and academic affiliations will be published on the ISIS website after the closing of the submissions process. All applicants will be notified of the status of their proposals in the Fall of 2015, so that the approved candidates will have sufficient time to arrange funding through their institutions, and make travel arrangements.